As Close As Brothers
by Enter the Harlequin
Summary: After a terrible and unseen accident, Ed and Al find themselves trapped... in one mind. One body. Story is better and MUCH more intense than summary implies. Blood in later chapters! T RoyxEd and by default, RoyxAl  mildish?


**I got bored~ Me and Mortichai came up with this togethers^^ I actually wrote it awhile ago, but wanted to complete at least 2 chapters first. I didn't, but whatever^^"**

His breath was loud in his ears. Fast, frantic. He tried desperately to get there fast enough, to get there before...  
Ahead of him was a square of light, a beacon in the growing darkness. He sped up, desperate to get there, out of the darkness and to his brother. He could hear crying, it only made him run faster...

Al...

He burst through the Light, wincing as his dialated eyes adjusted. A blur of looking everywhere, over every inch of the place. Finally, he found his brother... Laying in the middle of a transmutation circle. He was nude, and curled around him was a redish- brown fox, it's tail swishing tiredly.

"AL!"

Al looked up, he was crying, and trying to get away. Ed started to run to him.

"No! Stay back! Don't touch the circle!"

He didn't hear him in time. Ed's foot connected with the edge of the array, and there was a brilliant flash of red light.

Al was screaming, he heard... Then everything went black.

* * *

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked around, his vision shifting. Where was he? He tried to sit up, but couldn't. His head was pounding.

'Where are we?'

We? Yes... Somewhere in his mind, he knew He was 'We'. He couldn't quite explain it...

What was his name?

What was their name?

He tried to stand once more, only managing his knees. He was too dizzy. So many images rushing through his head. So many names and memories. Ed... Al... Was that who he was... Was that who they were? A sharp pain through his skull, and he was on the floor again, curled up in the fetal position. God it hurt. What was happening?

'What's wrong with us?'

Footsteps. He... They heard footsteps. Getting closer. He sat contemplating whether or not he should hide, but his thoughts were cut short by a gasp from what he... they assumed to be the doorway.

A girl. She had wide green eyes and messy white hair that went down to her shoulders. She took a few steps toward him, and knealt down.

"Are you alright? ...What's your name?" Her voice was scratchy, but caring. He just shook his head, feeling something soft brush against his back. It startled him, and he jumped. Looking behind him, there was a tail. It was Rusty Golden, and swayed freely behind him. He drew a shaky breath and turnd back to the girl. The voice that came out was not one, but two. The lower of the two sounded like Ed's... the otehr like Al's. Both held a strange animalistic ring to them.

"We don't know... We're lost... We're so confused, it's..."

She came closer, reaching out catiously to place a hand on his shoulders. She looked around.

"We? Who else is with you, dear?"

He looked up, crying silently. He seemed unaware of it, and pointed to himself. "I was Kidnapped... I came after him, to save him... We were trapped in light... We woke up like this."

Her eyes widened, and she took his hand. "You mean... A transmutation?"

He nodded.

Her eyes widened further and she stood, pulling him up with her. He swayed for a moment, but regained his balance and looked at her. She saw the fluffy ears that twitched on his head. "Do you remember anything?"

They... He nodded. "So many memories... Our names... Edward and Alphonse. Nothing's clear..." They looked around. "We remember forests. And a litter of kits." They turned back to the girl. "They were ours. But not... Ed and Al's."

She was at a loss for words, or thoughts atleast. She grabbed his hand, making him look at her. "What do I call you?"

They seemed to think it over.

'Our name, Brother...'

'Our name?'

They looked up at her with mismatched eyes. One grey, one Golden. "We... Our last name was Elric. Just call us that."

Her eyes widened, and she looked closer. "Edward and Alphonse Elric? As in... Fullmetal and Soul transfer?" They looked blankly, but nodded.

'She knows us, Al.'

'That she does, brother.'

She seemed to have a hard time getting her thoughts straight. She planned to take them to HQ... General Mustang was their superior, right? But there was a blizard, and they were trapped. Looking up at the boy who's hand she held in her own, she could feel nothing but pity. This was two of the military's most respected alchemists. And now they were just a mental mess, but what else could be expected when their minds were fused.

"Okay, guys." He looked up from playing with his tail, that from memories he was used to. "My house is across the street from here, three houses down. Do you think you could make it there in a blizard?"

They... He just nodded.

'You okay with that, Al?'

'I want to leave here, brother. I'm scared.'

'...so am I, Al.'

And with that the two boys... the one boy stood, and followed the strange girl into the snow.

* * *

They walked in and immediately went to the fireplace, sitting down and shaking the water out of their Golden hair. They layed shivering in front of the fire. The girl just stared at them for a while, wondering what to do. She finally took a deep breath, picked up the phone, and dialed HQ.

"Emergency code 404."

_"Oh, dear. Right away miss."_

There was a long pause. _"Who the hell is calling me at 4am?"_ It was a very groggy Mustang.

"Sorry to bother you, sir. But I have found the missing state Alchemist and his brother. They are currently staying at my house. And, well... They aren't exactly themselves." She explained.

"_What do you mean?" _His voice was urgent.

She paused, not sure what to say. "I think it would be best if you saw for yourself..."

_"I'll be right over-_

"No, sir. Once the blizzard dies down, i'd be more than happy to have you here. Until then, you can wait. I'll call you... and sir?"

She heard a mumbled 'What'.

"A warning... Their... mind... is in pretty bad shape. I don't know what effect the transmutation had on-

_"What transmutation?" _Roy was standing now, grabbing his coat.

"It's... complicated..."

She heard the dial tone. Stupid stubborn general...

* * *

Ed and Al lay in front of the fire, not shaking now.

'Brother... What are we going to do?'

'I don't know, Al... It's so confusing... I can't think straight.'

'Why... why don't you get some rest? I'm sure you're tired.'

'...I don't know...'

'Please, brother? For me?'

...

'Alright...'

Ed's mind dissapeared, the golden eye closing, and Al felt the sureness and warmth that accompanied it. He couldn't help but smile as some of the fog lifted, and didn't quite notice the white-haired girl standing in front of him.

"Boys?" She asked, snapping him from his trance. He smiled and shook his head.

"Ed's asleep. It's just me right now."

The white-haired girl's eye twitched. Trying to keep up was proving difficult, for lack of a better phrasing.

"Right. Well, your general is rushing over for you two. He'll be here in... oh, I'd say about 30 minutes."

'Al' nodded, looking back toward the fire. The girl wasn't quite sure if he was entirely aware of his situation.

"Alphonse... You realize what happened to you two?" She was sure to lower her voice, being as gentle as she could. Fusing their minds couldn't be good for their phsyche.

"I'm... not sure. It's all a haze. I keep hearing brother, and I can't see him. It's hard to move... and all the noise is hurting my ears." He whispered his reply, feeling a faint stiring in his subconcious. The feeling turned into a low buzzing sound in his ears. It undertoned ever sound...

"Alright... Have you seen yourself?"

Al shook their head.

"Well then... come with me. Better now than later, right?"

So Al stood, shaking out their arms as he tried to loosen them up. The girl was already walking out into a hallway, so he followed. As he turned into it he caught a glimpse of her figure dissappearing into yet another bend. Again, he followed, and ended up in a bathroom. She immediately whirled him around and turned him toward a mirror.

What a shame Ed chose then to stir.

What Al saw made their open eye... his grey eye widen. The golden one just fluttered, on the direct edge of conciousness.

They still wore Ed's signature outfit, Al having been stark nude at the time of the transmutation.

They were tall, assuming they had kept Al's height instead of Ed's. In contrast, Ed's long golden hair flung wildly and messily against their back... longer now, even, to their tailbone atleast. Yes, there was the most noticable change. Their long, rusty golden tail that swayed with their irritation. It matched the giant fluffy ears on his head perfectly. The golden eye was now open, and the contrast between the two orbs was so stark obvious and distinct that it made 'them' stumble back.

The golden eye held what Ed's had always held. A feirceness and hard determination that counterbalanced itself with a soft underlying love and warmth. The grey, a shining brilliance and peace that glowed with love and innocence. It was so hard to look at themself, because their face matched so incompletely.

Ed brought their hands up and Al dropped their head into them.

'Al... you're crying...'

And indeed, the grey eye sported tears... and the golden boredered on the same. The white-haired girl watched in puzzlement at their facial expressions as they passed.

'what if we're stuck like this?'

'I'll fix us, Al...'

'Like you fixxed my body?'

'... Yea, exactly like that."

(AN: I always double my x's exx: foxx, boxx, sexx. I think it looks nifty. I also sometimes do that with my I's :D) (- looks like a fat guy smiley)

* * *

A harsh pounding resonated throughout the entire apartment as a certain general demanded entrance. Roy gritted his teeth as he he jiggled the handle, not getting a response. Why weren't they answering the door?  
Sighing, he backed up a few paces and rammed into the door. It opened easily enough, and he walked quickly toward the stairs. He could hear crying, just faintly, from upstairs. Roy was sure to be quiet as he ascended said stairs, stopping in front of a door. Behind said door, is where the crying originated.

Roy opened the door and looked down in confusion and pity. There was a boy on the ground, huddled in on himself, sobbing. Well, half of his face was sobbing, the other looked pained, but like it was trying to comfort the other part of himself. The boy had hair like Ed's, and... most unusual were the animal parts jutting out of his head and backside.

"What are you doing here?"

Roy and the boy both looked up to where he voice came from. Ah... Luitenant Caralith Duran, a.k.a; Cc. She was insubordinate more often than not and didn't... play well with others.

"I came as soon as I could... Where are Ed and Al-

"We're here."

Roy looked down as two voices resonated from the boy's mouth. The lower, but still high, voice held that ring to it that made Ed's so sultry and...  
"We're so sorry, General, Al... Werrryyll grraa... mrmfhhguuhh." The boy looked as if he was trying his damndest to speak, but the words wouldn't come. The golden eye looked so frustrated as the silver cried harder.

'Brother... we can't even speak.'

'...It'll be okay Al. We just have to work through this.'

Roy looked like his eyes were going to spin around and burst. "Ed...?"

"An' Al."

The general took a step back, then looked to Cc, who shrugged. "I found them in that old warehouse. I saw a giant light coming from there and went to check it out... When i got there, this boy here... these boys... was.. were? Ugh, anyway. They were laying in the middle of a transmutation circle, looking like they were talking to themself."

Which wasn't entirely untrue. Technically, the two were talking to the other, the just happened to be doing it in their head. Roy turned back to the boys and leaned forward, staring into the one golden eye.

"Ed... you can hear me...?"

"Yis..."

"And Al?"

"Mhnmm"

Roy sighed and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "You two still... two? You're still Ed and Al?"

The boy who looked so much like the two nodded in affirmative.

'That's right... We're still us, we can fix this.'

'As long as _we _stop refering to ourself as such...'

**Review? :3**

**Okay, please. I've gotten 4 story alerts and over 50 people have read it, but I'm feeling insecure and REALLY need an honest opinion, okay? Please, even if it's just something like "this was cool, can't wait for teh next chapter" and even if you CAN wait LIE AND MAKE ME FEEL BETTER :D**

**please? ):**


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